| Historic Name: |
Stokes Inc./Howard S. Wright General Contractors/ Fuller (Brush) Building |
Common Name: |
Spruce Street School |
| Style: |
Commercial, Other - Industrial |
Neighborhood: |
Cascade |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1907 + 1959 (ca.) |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This historic property is no longer extant. Based on field examination conducted in January - February 2014, it has been demolished. Specific demolition date has not been established.
The main portion of the building was built in 1907. Its façade is virtually unchanged, at least since the 1930s. However, based on a photo from 1959, the small two story addition was still only one story. The entire two story building dates from sometime after 1959, but before 1963.Architecturally, this building, mainly its older portion, is one of the better examples in Seattle of an industrial building of the early Twentieth Century which also employs a variety of high style compositional and ornamental devices. (It is an interesting example a proto Post Modern building!) The building is historically important in the economic, industrial and cultural history of Cascade. With 1265 Republican Street to its north on Yale Avenue N., it forms a powerful image of early industrial Seattle. The building has had a string of owners and change of names. The 1920 and 1928 Kroll Maps indicate that it was the warehouse for Stokes Incorporated, an ice cream and candy manufacturer. In 1938, the building was owned by Howard S. Wright & George J Schuehart, but apparently had been occupied by Security Van Storage Company (based on a photo from the 1930s). In 1937, based on almost illegible drawings at DCLU/ the Dept of Planning and Development, the building itself or a portion of it, was to be occupied by the Dublin Ginger Ale Company. From 1941 to 1958, the building contained a warehouse and office for the Fuller Brush Company. By 1959, when “Nickum, Lamont & Fey, Industrial Designers,” were doing drawings for "repairs” to the building, it was known as the “Old Fuller Brush Building,” but apparently owned by the New Richmond Laundry. It apparently served as part of the New Richmond Laundry, Plant 2 as did 1265 Republican Street. The 1961 and 1963 editions of Polk’s Directory show that it was occupied by Infant’s Specialty Company Wholesale Novelties and Taft Structurals Inc., a steel supplier. By 1968, Taft Structurals Inc was the only tenant listed in Polk’s. By 1977, the building provided warehouse/office space for Harbor Electric Company. By 1985, the building was still called the “Fuller Building.” Permit records and drawings show that its interior was converted for school use in 1985 and for the Spruce Street School in 1987. In 1990, the building interior was further remodeled for the Spruce Street School, who still occupy the building, as of this writing (2003).
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| Appearance |
| This building is L shaped in plan, or can be seen as a rectangle with another almost square area attached to it, creating a courtyard along the alley. Front and side walls are 17” thick concrete walls. The basic interior structure is heavy timber and there is a full basement. The building has one east facing street elevation along Yale Avenue North. It consists of a long one story portion and a much less wide two story portion. Both have a flat roof with parapet. The lower building has a parapet with two raised areas along the wall, which are reminiscent of unadorned pediments. These are spaced symmetrically. Below the two “pediments,” is a raised band. Below this, are a series of punched openings. Two double windows are placed symmetrically in relation to the door. In turn, a single window is placed to the left of this arrangement, balanced more or less by a double set of window openings to the right. The distinctive element, however, is the false flat arch ornamentation, which is also rusticated – raised in certain areas, particularly at each false keystone - and is applied over each opening, window or central doorway. Even though the building is concrete, its ornamentation mimics elements of brick construction and ornamentation. Currently the walls are painted white and the ornament, including the extruded band that runs along the façade, are painted dark green, as are the window sills. The two story portion, a later addition, probably from the late 1930s, is distinguished by its relative simplicity and the two second floor industrial sash windows. |
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